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Tales From A Country Practice
Arthur Jackson

Sphere (Little, Brown)
26 April 2012 / ISBN 9780751547924
Non-Fiction/Autobiography
1950s, English Countryside
Amazon US - UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

Recently qualified Arthur Jackson is a GP with a wife, four young children and a rambling manor house that has seen better days. He tends to the diverse needs of his patients, as well as breeding ducks and geese, coping with the demands of his rash purchase, and trying to get out of debt…

I wasn-t sure what to expect from this book. I'm not normally a fan of anything medical or autobiographies but have a weakness for nostalgia and after having read the description on the back was prepared for anything. What I got was something of a treat; here is an author who has the ability to tell a good yarn and make just about anything sound interesting. From anecdotes about his student days to the mishaps of owning a vast property that appears to be falling down, there is always something going on. There is a cast of colorful characters and their various ailments, accidents or other reasons for knowing Dr Jackson and even a couple of ghosts. It isn't all cozy either, but the grimmer aspects of the medical profession are kept to a minimum and the tone is mostly light. My own favorite part of this varied book was the author's fascinating description of duck breeding, wisely keeping in all the parts the how-to books don't tell you. He manages to make it sound realistically interesting without getting too bogged down in the details and never romanticises it. I would say that this goes for everything in the book.…I hope he makes this a series.

 
Reviewed 2012
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